Sara Ahmed Becomes First Egyptian Woman to Stand on Olympic Podium

Sara Ahmed, an 18-year-old Egyptian weightlifter, won bronze in her 69-kilogram division, to become the first Arab woman to be presented with an Olympic medal in weightlifting. She's also the first Egyptian woman to win a medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, according to the Khaleej Times.

While Abeer Abdelrahman — another female Egyptian weightlifter — won silver for the 75-kilogram division in the 2012 London Olympics after three athletes were disqualified for drug cheating, Ahmed is the first to be initially placed third and to stand on the podium for the Olympic sport.

Ahmed, who wore the hijab and a full-body athletic uniform, said that weightlifting and handball were once popular sports for Egyptian women. She was introduced to weightlifting by her brother.

Sarah is a staff writer for Identities at Mic. She writes about religion, race, sexuality and where it all intersects with culture. She occasionally performs stand up comedy and is incredibly defensive for Kanye West. You can reach her by email: sharvard@mic.com